COLOR RUSH || TAEGYU

CHAPTER IV

Taehyun woke up early.

Too early.

He checked the time on his phone and groaned when it read three o'clock. He laid in bed for another hour, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Defeated, he stared up at the ceiling. His head still throbbed slightly.

Fighting the urge not to faint during his color rush had drained a lot out of him. He wasn't going to do it again, that's for sure. Even hours later, he still felt weak. He got out of bed and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. On the counter, there was a note.

Went out for an investigation in Jeju. I'll be back in a few weeks. There's food in the fridge you can heat up. I put money on your card in case it's not enough. Call me if you need me.

- Yeonjun

With a sigh, Taehyun put the note back down and turned on the TV, settling himself on the couch.

There was a documentary about animals on. He decided to watch it for a little while, hoping it would maybe drone on enough to help him fall back asleep.

It was Saturday, so he could risk messing up his sleep schedule for a day.

"During mating, a female mantis will eat the male mantis. The male mantis knows he'll die, but he still initiates the mating."

Taehyun was horrified as he watched as the female praying mantis ate the male, leaving nothing behind. He turned off the screen, a wave of nausea hitting him. He ran to the bathroom and threw up.

As he rinsed his mouth, his hands shook, unable to take his mind off what he had just seen.

Would that happen to him and Beomgyu? Would Beomgyu keep getting closer to him until Taehyun snapped? He took his phone out of his pocket and texted the older.

I changed my mind about learning about colors. I'm not interested.

What are you doing up at 4 AM?

I could ask you the same, Taehyun thought before texting back.

It's none of your business.

Stay away from me. I never wanted to meet my Probe. Nothing good will come out of our relationship.

Taehyun.

What's wrong?

Are you OK?

His phone continued to buzz with Beomgyu's messages, but Taehyun turned his phone off, silencing the device. He looked through the kitchen cabinets for some medicine for his headache. He found some aspirin and took two pills. He went back to bed and scrolled through his laptop. He went onto social media but quickly logged out when he saw death threat pages directed towards Monos.

Monos seemed to be the terrifying ones when in reality, both were. There had been plenty of stories of Monos kidnapping and eating their Probes to see color permanently, yet there hadn't been much of Probes kidnapping Monos in order to kill them or to see whose eyes would rush with color. But they were capable of doing so and getting away with it.

What would happen if Yeonjun came home one day to an empty house?

Would he mourn? Or would he be glad to be rid of a burden?

Yeonjun had been fathered by their mother's ex-husband, who left her alone with a baby when he found out she was a Mono. She had raised Yeonjun on her own until she met her Probe, Taehyun's father.

In the back of his mind, he sometimes had doubts about his half-brother.

Taehyun hated himself.

He hated how being a Mono brought out his worst insecurities, how being a Mono made him a target. He hated the way he couldn't help but doubt his own brother or how he would wonder how long it would take for a new friend to leave him.

But Beomgyu wouldn't leave him.

They were Mono and Probe, Probe and Mono.

They were fated.

Even if he did want to leave him, Taehyun would make sure he wouldn't be able to.

Taehyun buried his face into his pillow, his clashing emotions about to explode.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he whispered to himself.

Ever since they met, Beomgyu was all he thought about. They had barely known each other for two days, and Taehyun was already starting to obsess over him.

If he couldn't get a hold on himself soon...he was screwed.

__

When Taehyun texted him, Beomgyu couldn't help but answer. It worried him that the younger was up so early. Beomgyu himself had only been early because he had woken up from a dream that had seemed too good to be true.

Stay away from me. I never wanted to meet my Probe. Nothing good will come out of our relationship.

After Taehyun had sent that message, Beomgyu's heart sank. Was it because he was his Probe? Or was it something else?

Taehyun.

You can talk to me.

You don't have to shoulder your problems on your own.

Taehyun, if you're afraid of hurting me, don't be.

Please.

I trust you.

Beomgyu didn't believe that Taehyun would end up like those Monos on the news, the ones who ended up killing their Probes.

As dangerous as it was, Beomgyu wanted to get closer to Taehyun.

He wanted to see his face and see the rush of colors in his eyes.

In the last two days he had known him, he found Taehyun mysterious. He wanted to get to know him, not like how they had played around yesterday, but really get to know him. He wanted to know Taehyun's fears and see him at his worst. He wanted to know Taehyun's dreams and hopes.

He wanted to be able to cherish him and let him know that he was loved.

Beomgyu sighed and put his phone down, his mind drifting towards the dream he'd had.

He had been on a beach. There had been people on the beach but of course, he hadn't been able to see any of their faces. Except for one. Taehyun had been sprawled out on the sand, tickling a little girl who couldn't have been more than two years old. Taehyun had waved Beomgyu over and they played in the sand with the little girl... their little girl.

To any other person, Beomgyu would seem like he was crazy.

No one could fall in love so quickly with a practical stranger.

Beomgyu wanted to act reasonably, but his heart fluttered even at the thought of his Mono's name.

Taehyun, Taehyun, Taehyun.

I think I'm going crazy for you.